A Room with a View
by Melibells
Summary: On a hot afternoon, Eugene looks for a cool spot in the castle...and maybe a room with a good view. What he finds is much, much better. Also found on Ao3 under username melifair :)


Here is some unrepentant Rapunzel/Eugene fluff XD

ENJOY!

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It was a hot afternoon. Unseasonably hot, and even in the castle - where Rapunzel's parents insisted he stay despite his many awkward protestations at being completely unworthy of such an honor - it was still stuffy and well...miserable. Apparently even living in the lap of luxury had its drawbacks including rooms that got too stuffy the further in they were, which is how Eugene found himself in search of a shaded yet well ventilated spot to lounge. Preferably with a good view. The castle did have some damn good views.

That's when he found her. The young woman who'd changed his dream - who became his dream. Her figure was partially silhouetted by the large window she stood in front of with a large canvas on an easel off to the side. Paint was already brushed across the surface, capturing a bird's eye view of the kingdom below. Most people would look off into the distance when faced with such a magnificent perspective, but not Rapunzel. She had charted a trail of rooftops with her paintbrush, mapping the home she'd always imagined of from that tower.

Eugene just watched her silently for a moment, the search for his ideal view forgotten because, to be honest, he'd just found the perfect one. And it had nothing to do with the expansive landscape.

At some point in her artistic endeavors that afternoon, she'd been bothered by the heat and shed her dress and bindings, leaving them in a rumpled heap on the floor and herself clad only in the thin gauzy shift that left her arms bare and very little to the imagination. It also left him a little more hot than before, though for reasons entirely aside from the weather.

"Beautiful." The word left his lips before he even realized it, and the only reason he did realize it was because she turned to him, her own surprise at his sudden presence evident though she still smiled brightly.

"Really?" She asked, and it took a moment for him to recognize that she thought he meant the painting.

Which he did! And it was, but for some inexplicable reason he can't let on that he was more distracted by her than the painting. He had a shiny new reputation to uphold, after all. So he cleared his throat, walked forward to stand at the window to compare the vantage point she depicted on the canvas, and thanked the heavens that she couldn't read his thoughts...because they weren't exactly appropriate.

Though before he can even comment on the creative accuracy of her rendering, she gasped and told him, "Stay right there!

"Lean on the window sill...and turn your head just a little to the right..."

"Want me to take my shirt off too?" He wasn't quite sure what was wrong with his brain that day. Oh right, it basically stopped working the second he saw her standing there in her underthings. It had also taken hostage of his speech patterns, because really...he could be smoother than that.

"Eugene!" She exclaimed with amusement, though paused thoughtfully, "Actually...yes."

That caught him by surprise. Especially since he thought he was just joking around. He also thought that she thought that he was just joking too. But when he looked back at her, she stood illuminated by the sun, lip caught between her teeth as she looked him over with a glance that completely betrayed her normally innocent demeanor. That's not to say that they didn't do stuff, because they did. Just normally in private, where no one could stumble upon them.

Still, that didn't stop him from pulling his shirt off and shucking it aside. The room they were in was pretty high up and far enough from the main level that they shouldn't have to worry about any unexpected interruptions. And when he leaned back against the window, he pulled the smolder...just for old time's sake. Hey, if she was getting feisty, then he could too.

She was more amused than anything, rolling her eyes and chuckling as she pulled at his arm and positioned him as she wanted - with an arm braced against the window frame and his face turned to profile against the sunlight.

Posing was a lot harder than he ever thought it would be. Not that he'd anticipated posing for a painting, but it was still harder. The more he tried to stay still, the harder it was to remain that way. Every little itch and cramp was noticeable, so he kept himself occupied telling ridiculous adventure stories to pass the time. Though every now and then he glanced out the corner of his eye to watch her. He couldn't help it. She was gorgeous in the late afternoon glow, even with splotches of paint freckled across her fair skin.

He couldn't lie, he got distracted...several times, and she had to remind him of what he was saying to keep him on track. But thankfully, her brushstrokes and laughter fueled his storytelling and before he knew it, she had finished.

"What do you think?"

He left his spot by the window to look over her shoulder at the changes and additions she'd made with his portrait now lovingly crafted into her masterpiece.

"You got my nose right."

She nudged him playfully, "Eugene!"

"You did!" He laughed and wrapped his arms around her before he ducked his head low to kiss along her neck, knowing that his stubble tickled whenever he did that.

She swatted at him with those same paint covered fingers and streaked a stripe of color across his skin before she turned around in his arms. Once she saw her handiwork on his face she grinned deviously and reached up to add more color.

"I don't know...I think I missed a spot."

He grinned back as he thought of the possibilities for where that statement could lead, "You sure that's the right spot?"

She reached up to run her fingers through his hair, paint and all, but he didn't mind in the slightest. Not when she pressed her body close and pulled him down into a deep kiss. Or after, when she murmured against his lips, "I may have missed more spots."


End file.
